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A Friend For Mysty

Sat, 08/29/2009 - 22:21 — Mea West

Last december I had to make the decision to end the life of a friend. Dandy was my first pet, my first "real" pet; not a fish or hamster or petsitting. She was adopted from the Winnipeg Humane Society in 1993, before organizations like Craig Street Cats or Quagga or D'arcys. I still have her adoption form and every scrap of paperwork that was about her.

Working at a pet store that had a kitten rescue there were always kittens (well not January through March) arround 100 every year. When you spend 8 hours a day, 5 days a week cleaning up after them, herding them, saving the ones who fade, you get to know them. Sometimes it would be over a month before one found it's right home. But I never wanted to get attached and managed not to take any of them home.
Why?
Because of my old lady, my cat not my mother, well my mother had something to do with it but more in the raising me sense than actually being there sense. Anyways. After I moved out to go to school Dandy had to spend the first year at home with the family and the other 2 cats, she was less than pleased. Then she was able to stay with me but we would go home over the summer to visit family and work, once again, less than pleased at having 2 'new' roommates. Then 2 years ago I got married and my husband and his cat moved in with us. It took about 8 months for her to accept Mysty, who in her defense really just wanted to play. But it finally happened.
Before Mysty moved in I knew Dandy was getting old, 13 isn't necessarily ancient now a days but it isn't young either, especially for a cat that started life on the street. And I had to make a decision; did I want to put her through a kitten? And I decided what I believe was best, she needed all the attention and love I could give without the stress of being used as a playmate.

So we had a few quiet months of peace and then it was time for her to go.

That was 9 months ago.

It has only been this past summer that I have started to entertain the idea that I would like another cat. Mysty is great, and we have bonded a lot but she's not "mine" or rather I'm not "hers". I know I will never have the same type of connection that I had with Dandy and that is going to be a hard act to follow but I am ready.